Gun Bonsai

Gun Bonsai is a gameplay mod for the GZDoom source port, made by ToxicFrog and released on the ZDoom forums on July 31, 2022. The mod adds a special HUD to the game in the top-right corner of the screen, giving every weapon its own gauge that fills up by damaging monsters and triggers an alert when filled; by pressing the Show Gun Bonsai Info binding (by default I), the info screen is opened, where the player can choose one of four random upgrade that enhance either the weapon itself or the effect it has on monsters. The type of upgrades/perks that are available are dependent on the type of the weapon being upgraded. Once a perk is activated, its effect can be further enhanced later on if the same perk can be chosen again. The info menu can also be opened at any point to toggle off any weapon perks currently active. After every seven upgrades, a level-up occurs and a permanent player perk can be picked, once again chosen from four random options. The amount of XP necessary to fill the XP gauge increases with each level, with some upgrades only becoming available at higher levels.

Gun Bonsai was specifically designed for high compatibility with other mods; besides Doom and Doom II, the mod can also be run with Heretic and Chex Quest, and has been tested with the total conversions Ashes 2063 and Ashes: Afterglow, and the stand-alone Hedon Bloodrite, though it can theoretically be paired with any IWAD, total conversion, or gameplay mod due to its unintrusive scripting design, so long as the weapon type for every added custom weapon can be identified and fits with one of the defined categories. This is made possible by the mod relying entirely on event handlers and inventory items for its effects rather than replacing or modifying existing actors.

Gun Bonsai was awarded one of the 2022 Cacowards for best gameplay mod.